Car-signal.



CAR SIGNAL. I A lAlulLlc'AmN FILED JUNE-1,9. 1-912. BEMBWED JA. fa'. 1.9M, 1,134,827...v

Patented Apr.' 6, 1915` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1J' @infami/tom attenua? WILLIAM B. EIoifIH'oLrz AND FERDINAND L. WINrERs, or New ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CAR-SIGNAL Specicaton of Letters Patent.

' Patented. Apr. s, 1915.

Application led June 19, 1912, Serial No. 704,674. Evier'le'wed.l January 5, 1915. Serial No. 700.

To all whom it may Concern Be it known that we, VILLIAM B. EIC-H- noL'rz and FERDINAND L. YVINTERS, citizens4 of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State.

of Louisiana, have invented new and. useful` Improvements in Car-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

rl`his invention relates to signals for electric railway cars, the main 4object of the invention beingto provide means for displaying a signal at each end of a car to indicate that the car is standing still or about to make a stop, thus giving a warning to the motorman of a following car so as to `avoid the possible danger' of a rear end collision.

A further object of the invention is to provide .a signal of this character which will be controlled by the action ofthe brake gearing whereby when the brakes are applied to bring the car to a stop or reduce its speed'to a material degree, the'signal will be automatically displayed.

A still `further object of the invention ris to provide a'signal of the' character described, one of which may be arranged at each end of the car, in such manner that the operation of the brake gearing will throw both signals into action, thus indicating both ahead and behind by the display or nondisplay of the signals that thel car is about to stop or'will proceed on its way without making 'a stop. l

rlhe invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a bottom plan view of an electric railway car embodying our invention. Fig. Q is a vertical section through one end of the car showing the arrangement of the signal proper. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the. signal box showing the signal in normal and display positions. Fig. et is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a diagram` matic view of the parts or' the signal system and coactino parts of the brake gearing.

Referring to the drawings, l designates the body of a car, to which the invention is shown applied. 2 the levers of the brake gearing, 3 and the brake staffs at the opposite ends of the car, and 5 the chains opposite or other connections between the brake staffs andthe levers. Y

y he car shown is of that type in which a controller and a brake staff are arranged at each end of the car, so that the car may travel with either end forward, but it will, v

of course, be understood that the invention may beI applied to cars of that type which are provided with a motor and brake stall at one end only. These and other modifications, such as the adaptation of the invention to a car actuated by either hand or vair brakes, are held to fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. l

Arranged at each end of the car is a signal box 6 within which is arranged an electricjo or other suitable signal lamp 7. This lamp 'is designed to display a red light for use at night, and may be supplied with current from the lamp circuit of the car in any suitable way. The outer side of the box is open and is adapted to benormally covered or closed by a signal target or sign panel 8 bearing the word Stop or yother suitable warning or sign matter. Said disk or panel is fixed eccentrically to a shaft 9 journaled 80 in and extending through the boX from front to rear thereof and carrying at its rear end a cam pulley or pulley segment 1'0, to which is fixed one end of an operating chainA` cord or wire l1. shown is arranged in the present instance so as to be prominently displayed at the rear end of. the car, and to be controlled by the brake gearing through the operation of either brake stall.` lVhen the disk 8 is in 90 normal position the word Stop or other sign matter thereon extends lVhen said disk is projected upwardly to an open or display position, however, the

word-sign or symbol thereon is brought to a substantial horizontal indicatingk position, in which it may be readily read and .its purpose determined.

Mounted upon the under side of the car is a guide vbracket 12, and slidably mounted in this bracket, at a point intermediate its ends, is a longitudinally extending operating vrod'l, ,vhich is pivotally connected at `one end to one of the brake levers. The

able through a guide 14: jointed to. one arm of a bell crank lever l5, to the other armcf which is -.Connected the operating cord, wire The signal box 85 vertically.

end of said operating rod is slidlas or cable ll leading to the cain pulley 10, and which passes around one or more suitable guide pulleys 16. lnclosing the rod between theI bell crank lei/*er and the bracket I nut 20. This snin throuO'h its eX )ansible sistance the spring;` lr

. collision.

energy, normally holds the bralre rod retracted when the brake gearing is in normal or retracted position, and is adapted, When the rod is moved backward by the brake applying motion ol" the lever with which it is'connected, to transmit motion to the bell crank lever l5, whereby said bell crank lever will be operated to draw upon the connection l1 andthusl si Ying the sign target or panel to an open or display position.

Assuming that the parts are in norinal position and that the car is running with that end carrying the brake stall 3 ahead, it will be understood that when said stati is operated to .materially check the speed of the car or to stop the car, to take on or let oil. passengers, the resulting motion of the brake gearing will effect a backward inotion of the rod t3 against the yielding; re-

i. rThis spring will accordingly be compressed nto cushion i or yielding'ly take up all shocksand jars or irregular motions of the rod 13 until its ance by compression is sufficient to torni a substantially rigid connection between the rod and lever l5, wherenpoh 'said lever l5 will be inoved in the proper position to daW upon the connection ll, thus swinging the panel S to open or display position. i s. al will thus be displayed at the rear oli the car indicate that its speed has been inaterialy checked or that vsaid car is about to stop or is standing still, cna-bling' the niotorinan ot a following car to check the speed ot his car accordingly'. or to bring it to an immediate stop to avoid a lll/hen the brake gearing is released or the retraction of the brakes and returns to norinal position, the rod 13 is also returned to normal position, whereby the'target disk S is closed or again moved to non-displaying position.

When a iront signal `is used it will lessen y dvanger or head-cn collisions on single track roads, as the lnotorinan of a carV approaching' another may determine Whether 0r not the motornian oit the other caris preparing to stop or slow up in time to avoid danger. ln double track service a front' signal will also be found ot advantage, in that a car travelingv in one di ection and about to stop at a. station or cri'issinfr 'in displayingr the signal will notify the inotorman' ci ar alighting from the lirst-nained car.v

i lt will be understood frein the foregoing description that the signal mechanism is operated troni either@ end of the car through the manipulation of either brake staff 3 or Il, so that underemergency conditions the application of the brake lat the'rear end of the car by the conductor or an authorized person, will also result in thevsignal being displayed, the Warning?,- matter vupon the ta-rget 2 beni; shown during' the day and the light from the lamp 'i' at night. llene-e any reasonable number of cars may be run atl frequent intervals apart uponv single or double tracks, city or interurbai lines Without liability oi" head-on or rea end collisions and with less danger vinjuring pedestriansor persons getting on oilg the cars. it will be understood laat the tension ci the spring 17 may be rein, "ated at any time by means o' the nuts t8 a d taire up, all slack which may exist in any et the "flexible connections, as Well as to secure a desired sensitiyeness ai action oi the signal mechanism When thi brake gearn ing is thrown into operation.

The signal mechanism descr bed nayhbe duplicated at each end of the cai', so that when the brakes are thrown ifito action a signal will be displayedv at tle liront end .of the car as `well as the rear and, to indi cate to an approaching car on a single track road that the .first named car is still orabout to inaltea stop, inotorran of? the approaching car termine what coarse of action to siniroaching a switch or siding', given siiilicient Warning" in cider.

that the inay detali'e on or may be to enable bini to bring; his car to an immediate stop in the ei'ent that both cars are rainning in vopposite directions upon the saine track.

The display or non-display of forward signal will also indicate to an intending passenger Whether or not the car will make a stop at a usual stopping point, thus avoid` v ina the possibility oit an accident to the passonger attempting to board a car in motion. From the foregoing description., taken in connection with the accompanying drawu ings, the construct-ion and Inode ci operation of the invention Will be ilu'llj,y .rinden stood, and it Will be seen that a type of signal mechanism is provided which may be applied to existing' car structuresl and controlled positively bythe operation of the brakes to display one ornicre signals 'for the i'iurpose described. A

lllhile the construction disclosed is prelerred, it Willpf course, be understood that modifications Within the scopi of the claim may be niade'without departing from the esst avenants standing f :ige-eee? vSpirit; of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages'thei'eof. I Vfe claim racer signal, the combination Wih e brake 'mechanism of e oer, including the Usual brake levei', of a longitudinally slidablej'rod pivotally Connected with seid lever, ell crank levei` having a. sloted arm Y through 4which the rod loosely extends whereby' the' saicl' rod is both slidaoly and pivote-'ll onneese an abutment on the rod,'. e; eoiled, motion transmitting spring surrounding vne ocl between the bell cialik levei and' liie::ilmtmeiite Whei'eoy when the brake ievei' is ac'suatecl he rod will. be moved` to compress tile spring and gradually transmitl motion nheiethrough to the bell crank lever, a positively projected gravity retiacted signal, adapted for positive projecbioii to display position, and a flexible oonnecion between the other arm of 'the bell crank lever and seid signal, whereby when said bell crank lever is actuated by chey pressure of the spring undei" the motion o1 the sliding rod said signal Will be projected.

In testimony whereof 'We aflX our signatures in presence of two Witnesseo.

WILLIAM B. EIGHIIOL'IZ. FERDINAND L. WINTERS lfVitiiesses:

H. A. THOMAS, Jiu, ELIZABEQIH BRODERICK. 

